The present invention relates to the field of electronic device coupling and, more particularly, to a circular arrangement of redundant connection points for electronic device coupling.
Electronic devices have become more and more sophisticated in time. Many electronic devices rely upon various types of physical connectors (e.g., universal serial bus (USB) cable, high-speed serial bus (FireWire), etc.) to interface with other electronic devices. While this convention is acceptable for most uses of electronic devices, it requires having the appropriate physical connector available as well as the appropriate data ports on the two devices.
Further, most connectors become useless when a single pinout, the electronic input/output channel or pathway of the connector, becomes inoperable, likely caused by a damaged or dirty contact. For example, if a pin of a typical male pin-based connector is bent, the connector will not seat properly in the female receptacle, and the damage will most likely be exacerbated.
With pin-based connectors, a user is generally able to determine which connector is causing the connectivity problem with a physical inspection. However, it is near impossible for a typical user to discern which side of the connection is being problematic with contact-based plug connectors, like USB connectors; the side of the connection that is misaligned or is unable to send/receive the signal is not indicated.